I'm new to the Mini having just purchased one a couple of weeks ago when I got a 2009 R55 S. Took her in for an inspection at the deanship to learn that the front tires are pretty bad. Hadn't planned on replacing them this soon -- my fault for not paying closer attention a the time of sale. Anyway, I had only just begun doing the research and I need to speed things up a bit, so I thought I'd toss my ignorance to the collective intelligence here at NAM for some help.

What I Have
Kumho Ecsta 4x 195/55R16 (these?) with the 16x6.5 #59570A OEM rims. These came with the vehicle and I haven't had the car long enough to really know wether or not I like them. Nor do I have have anything to compare them to. My last vehicle was a Dodge Ram 1500.

Driving Style
This is my daily driver, so I'm doing commenting mostly. I do like taking the Sunday drive on the hilly back roads of Tennessee and although I like going fast, I'm not looking to take to the track, or anything super aggressive.

Also, I live in Middle Tennessee which doesn't see much in the way of snow. For the one, or two days a year we get snow, I'll probably just take the bus and forgo driving.

More Go Kart?
I know that there's more to the feel of the ride than just the tires, but my memory of my first test drive of the Mini Cooper (back in 2002) was that it had more of a go-kart feel, which I liked. Maybe that was the run-flats? I don't know.

Also my memory could be not as sharp as I'd like to think, but I do recall the drive feeling more "Go Kart Like" than what I'm feeling now.

Dealership Only Does Run Flats
I don't have enough experience to have much of an opinion in the matter, but my local Mini Dealership will only sell run-flat approved Mini tires. Their pricing seemed a bit high to me, no surprise there, but I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not against run-flats. That could also be my ignorance talking.

Currently Considering The Following
Based on what I've read through the forums here, these two appear to be rather popular options:

• Continental ExtremeContact DVS
• PirelliCinturato P7 All Season Plus (Grand Touring All-Season)

So What Do You Recommend?
I had hoped to have more time to consider new wheels, but having just bought the Mini and do a few repairs, I don't have the budget for new tires AND new wheels. Sticking with the OEM 16's what would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

 

P7 Cinturato A/S doesnt grip that well in the dry, but it has a ridiculous high treadwear rating of 700. Maybe I just hate all season tires.............

 

I like my khumos, those will last a little bit, I got ecsta AST and 14-15K is all BUT they stick like nittos even in the rain.

 

I have the DWS non runflats on set of 18 JCW Wheels.

On scale of 1-10 I rate them an 7/8 for cornering and go-kart feel. Also, if your alignment is out, they will make noise on the roadway. A local tire shop commented about that as having a customer come back and get another type of tire due their noise, and I experienced that as well. Noise went away when alignment was done by MINI however.

No exprerience with the other tire but a Grand Touring Tire ? = sloppy cornering due to soft touring sidewalls, at least my experience so far for any Grand Touring tire I have had....not the best choice for a MINI.

IMO, best MINI tire on the market for non-ruflat and rating a 10 out of 10 are the Nitto Neogens.



They are manufactured in the USA now by Toyo.

For the Clubman its a perfect tire for many reasons. It desgined for cars with camber and the rear tires on a Clubman take a beating because of this. It has best traction in wet and dry of any tire I have tried, and I have tried all the brands on a MINI with the exception of Michelin. And while it is rated as an all seaon, I would call it more of a 3 season tire. And even though its rated as 250 wear rating, on a MINI they wear more like a 350 or better since the car is so light.

And, they can be delivered to your door for about $100 dollars per tire at discount tire direct.

 

Wow thank you guys for all the fast feedback! You guys rock!

I added to the OP that I live in Middle Tennessee, so we get maybe two days of snow a year. Nothing much to speak of really. On those days, I'll probably just take the bus since no one around here knows how to drive in the snow anyway.

@Grey Raven -- thank you for the recommendation on the Nitto's. Those are ones I hadn't come across yet. Love that I get to benefit from all your experience.

@rckrzy1 -- glad to know that if I stick with Kuhmo's I'm not making a bad decision. Thank you.

@a2oc -- the treadwear is what caught my eye, but knowing that they're not great on dry doesn't appeal to me. Good to know.

 

Dealership would be the last place I would take my cars in for tire work. It's not their expertise, and the mark-ups are unreasonable.

You can order directly from TireRack.com, and use one the their locally recommended install facilities. Or check the national chains (DiscountTire, Firestone, etc).

If you do not need snow/winter traction, why are you sacrificing performance and handling by looking at all-season tires?

Start by reading reviews here:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...ting=S&tab=All

Then expand your search to include 205/55-R16 size (more choices, lower prices):
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...erformance=ALL

I am not going to prejudice your search with my favorite tire picks. The above information should allow you to make the best decision for your situation.

a

 

Couldn't agree more and that's my plan. I just happened to start the process at my local dealership.


Thanks for the suggestions and the links.

I had been pouring over the forums for the past 24-hours and those were the two that stood out. Probably just shows my ignorance as to where my head was at.

You're of course right that I don't need all-season tires and thanks to everyone's input, it looks like I'm getting steered in the right direction (pun intended)

 

It's a good idea to browse the 205/55-16 tire size for the more broad tire selection. They fit your wheels/suspension and provide a slightly taller sidewall for street comfort.

Basically for a Cooper S, if you want performance and handling, rarely see cold weather that you have to drive in (temps under 39 degrees), and don't mind tires that wear out a little faster (less than about 2 years) then look at Max Summer tires.

If ride comfort with lower noise, lower rolling resistance, all season use, and longer treadlife are more important priorities then consider Ultra High Performance All Season tires.

 

@minihune -- Thank you for the input. That helps a lot since I've never really been much of a car person until now.

Based on everyone's input and the fact that there is a Discount Tire less than 5 miles from my home, I'm planning on purchasing the Nitto's. Looking at what sizes they have available for 16" wheels, it looks like the Nitto NT NeoGen 205 /50 R16 91V XL BSW is the best option.

Any last minute suggestions before I checkout?

 

Yokohama s drives, you won't regret it.
Get rid of those heavy, poor wearing run-flats.

 

Order placed for the Nittos! Should receive them in 2 to 5 Days. Weird that I couldn't just have them shipped to their local store. I guess that's a separate process/cost to have them installed?

I'll post photos as I go through the process.

 

Let us know how you like them. Should be fine for you.

 

Just a quick update.

I ordered my tires on Sunday and after receiving the order confirmation on Monday, I e-mailed Discount Tire Direct to see if I could have the tires shipped to my local Discount Tire instead of my home. Within 15 minutes, I had a call to let me know that they received my e-mail and were happy to ship to the local store.

After about an hour later, I called my local Discount Tire and they said they had received the call and were aware of the shipment already. The tires are due to arrive tomorrow and I've scheduled an appointment first thing Thursday morning to have them installed. They said installation should take about 30 minutes and it'll cost ~$16 per tire.

So far my experience has been way above my expectations and I hope that continues. I'll keep you guys posted.

Any suggestions, or things I should know about / ask for regarding the installation?

 

Tell them NO weights on outside. I would also SKIP the tpms rebuild kits. They just replace seals and if they weren't leaking dont mess with it. They actually ruined one of mine , had to put their brand tpms and it's leaked 2 times because it don't fit like oem .

 

OK, good to know. If that had come up during the install, I would have just gone with their recommendations, so thank you!

BTW, what are weights?

 

Had my tires installed today! Process was easy with no add-ons or up-charges offered and I was in-and-out within the hour.

The ride has completely changed and I am completely in love. I'm taking it easy for now, but I'm carving the road like a hot knife through butter. Only thing left is to give the wheels a good wash, but it's raining all week, so that will have to wait for now.

Thank you guys for all the input and feedback throughout this process and special thanks to
-=gRay rAvEn=- for recommending the Nitto NeoGens!

Below are a few photos:

Delivery:


Loaded Up:


On The Rack:


New Tires:


Close Up: